Servais should learn how to do a little research. check out the county council minutes from 10/06 and 11/06 - full discussion about the reconveyance when the voted 7-0 to move ahead.

Trust Pike with no record? With full BIAW and Bonner and Servais support? With sneaky Greg Kirsch on his campaign team AND on the Herald editorial board? Telling the southside that he'll buy chuckanut ridge and the northside that he won't?

I bet that lowbagger Friedman was an insider to the whole deal. I've heard that he and the McShanes are on Sutherland's payroll. It's true! Sutherland got so tired of being sued by Friedman's group, having their Lake Whatcom lands taken away, and the Lisa Evildoer McShane running hit campaigns against him, that he brought them into his tent. Now Sutherland is so determined to get McShane and Kremen elected that he's going to give us an 8,400 acre park. That makes me so mad I'm going to go clearcut the watershed myslef!

I usually live by what John Servais writes, but I'm having trouble with this. I mean, how could John Watts have "blown the surprise" when the Servais' links show that Tom Pratum was posting on this subject over a year ago? Further, isn't it true that County Council voted in public to spend $300,000 exploring reconveyence? And that the issue's been discussed openly by the Watershed Advisory Board and posted repeatedly on the Lake Whatcom email discussion list?

Nothing against John Watts' investigative powers, but I heard that city council (including John) was briefed about reconveyance two years ago. Oh, and Servais himself was briefed on it by Lake Whatcom activists.

Could Servais be a double agent, and perhaps even part of the Big Conspiracy To Protect Our Drinking Water?

Josh, Good questions! But here's the kicker: As John points out, Myron Wlaznak shreds this deal as a fate d'accompli. But DNR's web site says that land exchanges usually take 18-24 months, see http://www.dnr.wa.gov/htdocs/amp/transactions/exchanges_pdfs/faq.pdf And check out how DNR's massive Central Cascades Land Exchange was totally fleshed out into a proposal before the public process, including hearings, got started: http://www.dnr.wa.gov/htdocs/amp/transactions/eastsideex/centcascex/pdfs2/ccfactsheet.pdf Perhaps what looks to John and Myron as a done deal is actually just now ripe enough for the public phase, which could last up to 2 years before anything's final.

Oh yeah, Myron. I don't he's got any real problems with reconveyance. It's just his nature to yap about things. A recent letter in one of the local papers called him a porch poodle, because he barks at everything that goes by.